Top executives from the likes of Microsoft and Expedia laid out their vision for the future. A biotech CEO explained how his company is fighting cancer. A former NFL wide receiver who nearly died on the field last year talked about the power of grit and determination. And Seattle was declared as “the Silicon Valley of saving the world.”

In between all of that, hundreds of entrepreneurs, engineers, executives, and many more met new friends, made business connections, and learned about the future of innovation.

The 2016 GeekWire Summit seemed to have it all as we welcomed more than 800 folks in downtown Seattle over an action-packed two days this week to learn from the top thinkers and builders across the tech industry.

We’ll be posting videos from each session in the coming days, so stayed tuned for that. For now, we’ve put together a recap of the Summit for those who missed out or those that just want to relive the two-day event. We’ll see you again at the GeekWire Gala this December.

A big thanks to Dan DeLong for snapping these fantastic photos. And thanks to all of you for attending, and a huge thanks to all of our GeekWire Summit sponsors for helping to make this event happen.

Welcome Party at Zillow Group

Online real estate company Zillow Group hosted the Welcome Party at their downtown Seattle HQ. Summit attendees, speakers, and other VIPs enjoyed tasty food, cold drinks, and great networking with amazing views of the Seattle waterfront.

Great time at tonight's #GWSummit Welcome Reception talking culture, tech & everything in between. Brilliant minds at work in this city.

The Power of Grit: Ricardo Lockette, former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver

Lockette shared his inspiring story of overcoming multiple bouts of adversity, from growing up and making it to the NFL before having his playing career cut short due to a near-death experience during a game last season.

Inventions We Love

We invited local innovators on stage for a fun geek show-and-tell featuring some of the coolest gadgets and hardware devices we’ve seen. Founders from Modumetal, ChefSteps, Lulabop, Package Guard and Coros all showed off their creations.

Opening Night Party

GeekWire Summit speakers, attendees and other VIPs and geeked out on one of the best rooftop decks in Seattle at Frolik at Motif Seattle. There were cold drinks, hot food, shuffleboard, ping pong, and more.

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Day 1 of the GeekWire Summit 2016 at the Seattle Sheraton, October 4, 2016. Photo by Dan DeLong for GeekWire

Sponsored Breakfast: Education Reboot: How Higher-Ed Can Help Solve the Tech Talent Gap

Panelists from Redfin, Galvanize, Microsoft, OfferUp, and Northeastern University led an informative discussion on some of the tech industry’s most pressing issues: How to educate the future workforce, how to solve the talent tech gap, and how to fix sexism and ageism.

Fireside Chat: Arati Prabhakar, Director of DARPA

Drones. Cyber defense. Genetic engineering. The chief of the U.S. agency charged with developing cutting-edge technologies for the military talked about a wide-range of topics, helping us understand more about an organization with a history of developing technologies that make their way into civilian life, as well.

DARPA Director Arati Prabhakar at the 2016 GeekWire Summit

"the thing that inspires me is talking to really smart and creative people" – Arati Prabhakar at #GWSummit

Power Talk: The Jump! Luke Aikins, Skydiver

The man who wowed the world by jumping from an airplane at 25,000 feet — without a parachute — discussed the physics and science behind the death-defying jump, along with some of the lessons learned from taking a true leap of faith.

"The medical examination was a high-5." @LukeAikins, on his no-parachute skydive landing. A real #GWSummit highlight.

Panel: Inside A.I.

Bot or Not? We heard about how the emerging world of artificial intelligence is transforming our work and lives from Dr. Oren Etzioni, CEO of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence and UW professor; and machine intelligence expert Shivon Zilis, the founding member of Bloomberg Beta, a $75 million venture fund backed by Bloomberg L.P. that invests in startups transforming the future of work.

Challenge with AI today is so much natural intelligence is required to make it work. @etzioni#GWSummit

Taylor Soper is a GeekWire staff reporter who covers a wide variety of tech assignments, including emerging startups in Seattle and Portland, the sharing economy and the intersection of technology and sports. Follow him @taylor_soper and email taylor@geekwire.com.

Find out at The GeekWire Summit, taking place on Oct. 1-3, 2018 in Seattle, one of the country’s premier technology conferences, bringing together more than 900 innovators and tech leaders together for an immersive two-day conference.

This year’s lineup features the CEO’s of Boeing, The Gates Foundation, Ring, eBay and more. Early bird rates end soon, grab your tickets today.